Leapin' Leprechaun! Shamrock Whale Challenge RRs

The trip to Shamrock weekend at Virginia Beach started out perfect. I had a nice short flight to Baltimore where I was being picked up by the Colonel (Mike). To make things even better, we were driving through Washington, DC and picking up Caitlin (HotPinkSneakers). I learned so much more about Mike and it was great to meet up with Caitlin again.

We had a pretty easy drive from there. We stopped for a Subway lunch and then it was on to the expo before getting to the house. We were able to meet up with a few more Loopsters once we arrived at the expo. Allison (PearlGirl) and Jillian (GingerSnapMKE) always make things a bit more fun. It was great seeing Ken (running_eng) and Brenda (TreeGirl) again and finally meeting Erin (fenwick_razzleberry) for the first time.

Posing under the Expo sign

After the expo, it was on to the house where I snapped off a few pics of the view from and around the house.

Not too long after that, it was out for dinner at Abbey Road. It is amazing how fast plans can come together. Vanessa (Vblevins) texted me while Mike was driving and mentioned dinner at Abbey Road and before the night came about, nearly everyone made it to the restaurant. It was a great time. Meeting Misti (hairgirl), Maranda (runbabyrun-MTF), Lisa (runningchick6560) and Brian (sfschas) were definitely highlights of the dinner. I took my camera which was "borrowed" by Carissa (Quadracool) and Misti at some point and took some pics of the festivities.

Vanessa, Angie (zamgirl5), Misti and Carissa

Mike and Angie

Misti

Misti and Carissa

The atmosphere

That Mike is a lucky guy!

After dinner, it was back to the house and a pretty short night before heading to bed. A group of us were running the 8K "race" on Saturday morning. This is what the view off the back deck looked like as we prepared to leave for the race.

On the way to the start line, Caitlin, Abby and myself were stopped by a photographer and he snapped this photo. I think we are looking pretty festive...

The 8K RACE

I was very pumped up for the races at Shamrock. I was running both the 8K and the marathon with Carissa! That would make anyone happy. As you know, we started off easy, for us @ 8:24 first mile and finished with a 7:24 mile. I don't need to talk about the race details except to say that a fully dressed up Leprechaun is a very popular figure at Shamrock. Carissa and I, ran and smiled, smiled and ran and then smiled some more. I couldn't find a race pic where we weren't smiling. Absolutely the most fun and best race for me ever!

Afterwards we hung out and waited for the others to finish. Here was another crowd favorite....

Super-Colonel

It was kind of nice to do a short race and be done by 10am. We made our way back to the house and a group of us, because of the inspiration of Vanessa and DH, Bob, decided that we would go to a couple of local micro-breweries.

While we were out, Brenda and Ed (great to meet him for the first time) were preparing a spectacular dinner. It is so cool to be around such awesome people and have them feed everyone so well. Awesome job you two!!!!!!

Saturday was also a beautiful day of weather. Everyone took advantage of the 70*F temps and the ladies managed to get lots of pics taken of their fun. Here are a few....

This pic we were able to sneak in Sara (slcathena) after she arrived (right in the middle)

Bedtime came pretty early after the fun on the beach and the great dinner. We all had 13 or 26 miles to run the next morning.

I rode with Ed marathon morning. Glad we had some time to talk on the way. Turns out that he headed home after his race and I didn't get a chance to see him again. I know he did an amazing job of pacing Bob (Vanessa's DH) to a pikermi PR!

Bob and Vanessa had set Mike and I up with keys to their room at the Holiday Inn and MJ and Erin joined us in the room after the HM started. So nice to be able to relax and be warm before the marathon started. Marathon morning pics....

Before the HM....no, I didn't run in jeans.

View from the balcony of the Holiday Inn

MARATHON

Eventually, we made our way down to the start line where I was meeting up with Carissa and our other partner for the day, Lisa. Did I forget to mention that at dinner Carissa and I committed to Lisa that we would pace her through a BQ if we could? She was excited for the company and we were excited to have a mission!

Ready to roll before the start

Just like the 8K, Carissa and I were out for fun but I think we tried to keep things even keel for Lisa. We went out a bit too fast but she was doing great so we banked some time for her early in the race.

Second race.....still smiling and having fun!

I loved the first military camp we went through. My favorite part was giving/getting 72 high fives. Yep, I counted and enjoyed every one of them!

The boardwalk was the first terrible stretch of wind and we tried to tuck in the crowd and have a bit of a wind block with only moderate success.

As we turned back onto the road and the halfway point, I stopped for a quick bathroom break. The next two miles were my fastest. 8:12 and 8:05 to catch back up just before we hit the wooded section and left the wind for a bit. This is also where we ran into Nicole (NicNac79). Now our group was four strong and despite a little pessimism from our star BQer (BTW, Lisa, love that , despite what you were saying, your body kept right on cruisin!) we were remaining on pace for Lisa.

Mile 20 brought on strong winds and a hill. And for me, the end of our wonderful group. Not sure why, but my calves started getting that flinchy-cramping feeling now and it started to worry me. I stopped at the next aid station and told Carissa I would catch up. I never did. A few times the calves twitched enough to cause a slight stumble. It was time to ease way back and finish without hurting anything. Lisa was certainly in the best hands with Carissa.

Perhaps easing through the next six miles helped. I came down the last .42 miles (my Garmin had the race at 26.42) at a 7:46 mile pace. Carissa....proof, that even without feeling the best, I continued to have fun........

The after party was the normal awesome time where we get to relax and just hang out knowing that another race is behind us. The only downer was the way MJ and Mike felt after the race. Oh, and maybe the little snow storm that was blowing through Washington DC that night which changed my plans.

MORE AWESOMENESS THAN I DESERVE!

With the way Mike was feeling and the winter storm warning brewing, it was decided that I would ride back to the DC area with Bob and Vanessa Sunday night instead of waiting till the next morning. It was a good call.

The storm hit and Monday morning there was 8" of snow on the ground. Should have taken a pic of that.

So, I missed the post-marathon house party but really didn't miss out on anything. Does that seem backwards? Not really. The ride with Bob and Vanessa was great. They set me up with a bid for the night. I met their DS and niece. Handed a beer and I even had a cat to snuggle with just like home.

In the morning, it was coffee and relaxation before heading to the airport. On the way, we grabbed a great brunch which Bob wouldn't let me pay for (I will return the favor when you two get up to Michigan!). I even had a great Apple Crumb Cheesecake for desert.

I may have missed the big party but hanging out with the Blevins' all that extra time, was very special. Two of the nicest people I have ever met. Thanks again you two!

Next up for me is my completion of my Marathon Maniac status. Toledo Marathon on April 27 and the Pig the following weekend. I guess I get in two qualifiers at the same time. Three marathons in 60 days and two within a week of each other. Fun times ahead.

Lots of family at Toledo and another Loopfest at the Pig! Maybe a bit of a break after that. By the time I finish the Pig weekend, the seven races I will have completed will add up to 142.9 miles. Yep....May will be a cutback month for sure.

That 8K costume had to be the best one of the whole weekend!!!!!! Congrats on two awesome races!!! It was great seeing you again, as always! Hopefully at the Pig we'll get to actually catch up a little more!!!!

Sounds good Jillian. Any time I am around you (and Allison), I seem to be all smiles. It will be great seeing you again so soon. Now we just have to get you running!

That 8K costume had to be the best one of the whole weekend!!!!!! Congrats on two awesome races!!! It was great seeing you again, as always! Hopefully at the Pig we'll get to actually catch up a little more!!!!

Great race report Steve! And you and Carissa were awesome running buddies/pacers! I agree I was not very cheerful around mile 18/19 lol. That wind had really took its toll. It was great running with you tho...even if you didn't sing or do your stand up routine lololol. Congratulations on your races! I'm still loving that green suit!

Thanks Lisa. I was afraid I wouldn't get to meet you or Brian unless I made it to Marshall sometime. It was great finally meeting you both at the same place. And congrats again on such a great race! You are awesome!

What a great time! Love all the pics- the leprechaun costume is great; looks like it would be a challenge to run in but obviously didn't slow you down. And congrats on another successful marathon finish!

Thanks Peg....looking forward to the Pig in about a month. Get to see just how fast you have become in person!

Great race report Steve! And you and Carissa were awesome running buddies/pacers! I agree I was not very cheerful around mile 18/19 lol. That wind had really took its toll. It was great running with you tho...even if you didn't sing or do your stand up routine lololol. Congratulations on your races! I'm still loving that green suit!

Totally great seeing you again. Too bad we live in the same state but it feels like I'm on another continent completely. Like Antarctica. It may be warmer there right now. See you soon I hope! We need to work on some fun summer gatherings while the Colonel is in our state.....

We have got to get together with Mike sometime while he is here. Maybe we could meet somewhere in between. And I realized too late that I forgot to tag you in that pic at the beginning. Sorry.

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